System and method for internet access to a personal television service

ABSTRACT

A communication system and a family of methods for remote access to personal television service are disclosed. A remote personal TV service center provides centralized program guide information. A user may access the personal TV service center through a digital video recorder which is connected to the personal TV service center via telephone modem or a network server. A user may access the personal TV service center through a remote computer terminal or a personal digital assistant which is connected to a computer network. The user selects program events and programs the digital video recorder by using a graphical user interface installed in the front panel of the digital video recorder, or using a similar GUI incorporated into the Web pages presented to remote users by a Web server. The media stream stored in one digital video recorder may be transferred to another digital video recorder.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS; BENEFIT CLAIM

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a Continuationof U.S. application Ser. No. 12/945,753, filed Nov. 12, 2010; which is aContinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/220,558, filed Aug. 29,2002; which is the National Stage of International Application No.PCT/US01/06313, filed Feb. 27, 2001; which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/186,551, filed on Mar. 2, 2000; theentire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference asif fully set forth herein. The applicant(s) hereby rescind anydisclaimer of claim scope in the parent application(s) or theprosecution history thereof and advise the USPTO that the claims in thisapplication may be broader than any claim in the parent application(s).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to personal television service. More particularly,the invention relates to a communication system and methods for remoteaccess to centralized personal television service via direct telephoneconnection or indirect network connection.

BACKGROUND

With the advent of videocassette recorders (VCRs), TV viewers are ableto record TV program events that are broadcasted in a given time slotand playback the recorded program content later. During the recording, aVCR changes the electrical signals of a program content into magneticsignals and stores the magnetic signals on magnetic tape. When playingback, the VCR changes magnetic signals into electrical signals and theattached TV set displays the program content of the signals on itsscreen.

With the development of digital technology, the VCRs are beingsuperseded by digital video recorders (DVRs). Like a VCR, thefunctionality of a DVR is to record broadcasted program events andplayback later. During recording, a DVR changes the electrical signalsof a program content into digital information, such as MPEG data streamsand stores the digital information in a memory device or directly storesthe pre-digitized TV signals in the memory. When playing back, the DVRchanges the digital information back to analog signals and the attachedTV set displays the program content of the signals on its screen.

To record TV program events using a VCR, a TV viewer must manuallyselect a channel and control the VCR or have somebody else to do it. Byusing a DVR, however, the TV viewer may establish a program recordingsequence by programming the DVR according to a TV program guide and havethe recording done automatically.

Although the DVR enables users to specify the recording time, channel,and duration for a plurality of events, it cannot meet the increasingneeds in defining and capturing the program events in a more intelligentway. For instance, in situations where a user cannot find a TV programguide or he is far away from his DVR and TV set, he will be unable toprogram his DVR and record the program events that he likes.

What is desired is to establish a communication system through which aTV viewer may access to a centralized TV program guide database andprogram his DVR anywhere.

SUMMARY

A communication system and methods for remote access to a centralizedpersonal television service are disclosed. According to this invention,a personal TV service center provides centralized program guideinformation. A user may access the personal TV service center through adigital video recorder which is connected to the personal TV servicecenter via telephone modem or a network server. A user may also accessthe personal TV service center through a remote computer terminal or apersonal digital assistant which is connected to the personal TV servicecenter via a computer network such as the Internet.

In case of local programming, a user selects program events by using agraphical user interface installed in the front panel of the DVR. Forremote programming, the user selects program events and programs the DVRby using a similar graphic interface which is incorporated into the Webpages presented to remote users by the personal TV service center's Webserver. To use the personal TV service more efficiently, two or moreDVRs may be connected, either by direct connection or over a networksuch as the Internet, so that recorded media stream may be transferredfrom one DVR to another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system for remoteaccess to a centralized personal television service according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a data flow diagram showing the operational processes of thesystem shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a table diagram illustrating the structures of a user databaseand an event database shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process used by a personal TV service'sWeb server to obtain remote programming directives from a user;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial representation of a graphical user interface forprogram selection;

FIG. 6 is a screen capture of a Now Showing Web page that appears in auser's web browser;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the interactions among thepersonal TV service center, the DVR, and the external content serverover Internet; and

FIG. 8 is a screen capture of a replay bar indicating that the contentis downloading faster than playback speed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the invention, some specificdetails are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of thepresently preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practicedin embodiments that do not use the specific details set forth herein.Well known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not beendescribed in detail.

In the following discussion, in references to the drawings like numeralsrefer to like parts throughout the several views.

A. System for Remote Access to Personal TV Service

Referring to FIG. 1, a communication system for remote access to apersonal TV service is shown, generally designated as 100. In accordancewith the present invention, a digital video recorder (hereinafter asDVR) 110 installed in a household communicates with a personal TVservice center (hereinafter as service center) 130, which providesprogram guide data, graphical resources (such as fonts, pictures, etc.),service information, and other forms of data that enable the DVR 110 tooperate independently of the service center 130 to satisfy viewerinterests. This communication uses a secure distribution architecture totransfer data between the DVR 110 and the service center 130 such thatboth the service data and the user's privacy are protected. The DVR 110receives broadcast signals from an antenna 115 or receives televisionsignals from a cable TV system.

In one embodiment of the invention, the DVR 110 generally comprises: aplurality of components that are necessary to digitize an analogtelevision signal and convert it into a digital data stream; a pluralityof components that are designed to record segments of said data stream;a plurality of storage facilities that are designed to retain segmentsof said data stream; a plurality of components that are designed toretrieve segments of said data stream, convert the said data stream intoan analog signal, and then modulate the signal onto a RF carrier,through which the signal is delivered to a standard TV set 120; and aninterface 125, through which the DVR 110 communicates with a network140.

The DVR 110 may be directly connected to the service center 130 by usingits internal telephone modem to dial into an incoming call modem bank145. The incoming call is first routed to the service center 130 foridentification verification. Upon verification, the incoming call isauthorized. The private modem bank 145 answers the call and the DVR 110is granted access to the databases in the service center 130.

Alternatively, the DVR 110 may be indirectly connected to the servicecenter 130 via the network 140. The interface 125 between the DVR 110and the network 140 may be the internal telephone modem of the DVR 110,or a dedicated network interface such as a cable modem. The computernetwork 140 can be either a private network or the Internet. The DVR 110initiates a connection to the computer network 140 by calling a localaccess telephone number for an Internet service provider (ISP). The ISPdirects the network connection request to the service center 130 foridentification verification. Upon verification, the network connectionis authorized and the DVR 110 is granted access to the databases in theservice center 130.

The service center 130 receives program schedule information 150 fromexternal sources. The program schedule information 150 forms the basisof a program guide that TV viewers can use to select TV programs to berecorded. The service center 130 communicates with the computer network140 through an interface 135.

TV viewers can use remote computer 155 or personal digital assistants160 to remotely access the program database in the service center 130 byestablishing a communication channel with the service center 130 via thecomputer network 140.

Referring to FIG. 2, the service center 130 includes a Web server 200,which collects, organizes, and provides program schedule information; aprogram database 210, which stores program schedule information; a userdatabase 220, which stores information about users and digital videorecorders; an event database 230, which stores an event list for eachuser, and a dispatch process 240, which traverses the user database andretrieves the event list from the event database. It may also include anetwork interface over which the Web server and the digital videorecorder communicate.

In the preferred embodiment, the DVR 110 includes a micro-server 250,which controls the communication between the DVR 110 and the servicecenter 130; a local program storage guide 260, which records the programguide provided by the service center 130 and is updated whenever the DVR110 accesses the service center 130; an event queue 270, which is a datastructure used to initiate recording sessions that capture selected TVprograms; a pseudo-random-number-generator (PRNG) 280, which generatesauthorization key for remote access; as well as a network interface 125,which connects the DVR 110 to the computer network 140. The event queue270 is coupled to a recording device integral to the DVR 110.

Both the remote computer 155 and the personal digital assistants (PDA)160 comprises a Web browser 290, which may be a generic Web browser thatenables the user to view Web pages.

FIG. 3 is a table diagram illustrating the structures of a user database220 and an event database 230. The user database 220 includes aplurality of user records 300. Each user record 300 comprises aplurality of fields, among which are a user identification 310, acrypto-key 320, a DVR identification 330, and an event list pointer 340.The user identification field 310 is used as a key into the userdatabase 220. The crypto-key field 320 is used to store theauthorization key received from a user who is attempting to program hisDVR 110 remotely. The DVR identification 330 is used to store thenetwork address and connection details which are needed to establish acommunication channel with the DVR 110.

In the user database 220, separate event lists 350 are maintained foreach user. The event lists 350 are stored in the event database 230.Each event list 350 includes a plurality of event records 360. Eachevent record includes a plurality of fields among which are a time field370, a channel field 380, and a duration field 390. The time field 370is used to indicate a start time for recording and is comprised of thedate and time of the program event. The channel field 380 specifieswhich channel the DVR should record. The duration field 390 is used tospecify how long the DVR should record the content for that programevent.

B. Process for Remote Access to Personal TV Service

FIG. 2, together with FIG. 1, shows various processes that collectivelyenable the functionality of the invention.

The service center 130 receives program schedule information 150 fromexternal sources on a periodic basis. Once the program scheduleinformation 150 arrives, the program database 210 is updatedaccordingly.

The DVR 110 updates its local program guide 260 on a periodic basis byreading a Web page from the Web server 200. In response to a requestfrom the DVR 110, the Web server 200 first consults the program database210 for updated program information and then dynamically creates a Webpage containing updated program schedule information.

Once the DVR 110 has updated the local program guide 260, the Web server200 presents to a TV viewer a program guide using a graphical userinterface as shown in FIG. 5. The TV viewer selects TV programs byprogram title and time slot to indicate what programs should be recordedby the DVR 110.

The TV viewer can remotely program the DVR 110 by using a Web browser290 on either a remote computer 155 or a personal digital assistant 160.In this situation, the Web browser 290 is used to access a special Website hosted by the Web server 200.

To use the remote access feature, a user must first obtain anauthorization key from the DVR 110, which is generated by thepseudo-random-number-generator (PRNG) 280. The DVR 110 presents theauthorization key to the user on a graphical user interface that ismanaged by the DVR 110. Whenever remote access is received from thedispatch process 240, the authorization key is stored locally in the DVR110.

The service center 130 executes a dispatch process 240 on a periodicbasis. The dispatch process 240 traverses the user database 220.Whenever the dispatch process 240 encounters a user who has specifiedprogram events, the dispatch process 240 retrieves the event list 350from the event database 230. The dispatch process 240 then establishes acommunication channel with the micro-server 250 that resides in the DVR110. This communication channel is designed to allow the dispatchprocess 240 to retrieve a special event-dispatch Web page from themicro-server 250. The micro-server 250 presents the event-dispatch Webpage to the dispatch process 240. The dispatch process 240 thencompletes the event-dispatch Web page and submits it back to themicro-server 250.

The micro-server 250 uses event directives found in the event-dispatchWeb page to update the event queue 270 integral to the DVR 110. Theevent queue 270 is a data structure used by the DVR 110 to initiaterecording sessions that capture TV program events.

In order to authenticate a transaction, the Web server 200 includes oneor more authorization codes for the user affiliated with the DVR 110 tobe programmed. The DVR 110 compares the authorization code against aprivate copy maintained in the DVR's non-volatile memory. Theauthorization codes are time sensitive and can be set to expire assystem security requirements dictate.

C. Process to Obtain Remote Programming Directives

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a process used by the Web server 200 toobtain remote programming directives from a user. The process includesthe steps of:

Step 400: The Web server 200 presents an authorization request form inthe first Web page to the user who accesses a special Web site that ismanaged by the Web server 200;

Step 410: The Web server 200 receives the authorization key that isentered by the user who responds to the authorization request and usesthe authorization key to authenticate any subsequent programmingcommands transmitted to the user's DVR 110;

Step 420: The Web server 200 stores the authorization key together witha user identification in the user database 220;

Step 430: Once the Web server 200 has stored the authorization key inthe user database 220, it writes a cookie in the non-volatile memory ofthe remote computer 155 or personal digital assistant 160;

Step 440: The Web server 200 presents a program guide to the user afterthe user is identified and authenticated;

Step 450: The Web server 200 receives the user selections and creates anevent list 350 specific to the user. The event list 350 is stored in theevent database 230.

In Step 440, the Web server 200 follows a script integral to the firstWeb site presented to the user and searches for a valid cookie on theremote computer 155 or the personal digital assistant 160. Once a validcookie is discovered, steps 400 through 430 are excluded from theprocess flow.

D. Graphical User Interface for Program Selection

FIG. 5 is a pictorial representation of an exemplary graphical userinterface (GUI) 500 for program selection. The GUI 500 is used both onthe DVR front panel and is incorporated into the Web pages presented toremote users by the Web server 200. When implemented directly in the DVR110, the GUI 500 is manipulated directly by the control process integralto the DVR 110. When the GUI 500 is presented to the remote users via acomputer network, it embodies as an active server Web page. FIG. 6 is ascreen capture of the Now Showing Web page that appears in a user's webbrowser.

The GUI 500 comprises a table 505 that contains a plurality of columns510 and a plurality of rows 515. The columns 510 correspond to the daysof the week (and a specific calendar date). The rows 515 correspond tothe hours of a given day. The columns 510 and rows 515 of the table 505are actually made up of data selection controls where the caption of thecontrol is set to indicate the title of a TV program that is scheduledin the time slot according to the position of that control in the table505. The GUI also comprises a mechanism for scrolling up 520 andscrolling down 525, a mechanism for turning forward 530 and turningbackward 535; a mechanism for selecting a specific TV program; amechanism for creating a program event list 350 which contains selectedTV programs; and a mechanism for editing said event list 350. Inaddition, it may also include a mechanism for commanding download, amechanism for indicating the download is in progress, and a mechanismfor canceling the ongoing download.

The position of the control corresponds to the day and hour of the TVprogram event. The user can toggle the selection controls that arepresented in the GUI 500. When the GUI 500 is returned to the Web server200, the identifiers of the selected controls are used in conjunctionwith the program guide 260 to create an event list 350 for the user. Theevent list 350 is then stored in the event database 230 in the case ofremote programming. For local programming of the DVR 110, the event list350 is stored directly in the event queue 270 that controls the DVRrecording sequence.

E. Internet Access to Digital Video Recorder

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a general scheme 700 illustrating theinteractions among the service center 130, the DVR 110, and the externalcontent server 720 over the Internet, wherein a particular style of theInternet access is integrated into the DVR 110 to enable it to fetchcertain types of content over an Internet connection 140 and make themavailable for viewing in the Now Showing page as shown in FIG. 6.

A listing of the content name, i.e., the title of TV program, indicatesthat such content is being fetched on the GUI 500, and a record icon, orsome variant thereof, indicates that the download is in progress. Theviewer may pick the content (i.e., the TV program) and play it at anytime.

The download may occur at any speed, i.e., the interface 125 in FIG. 1is not dependent in any way on speed of download. FIG. 8 is a screencapture of the Web page showing a replay bar that, by growing the greenregion to match, indicates that the content is downloading faster thanplayback speed. In any case, the viewer is able to use all trick-playactions on whatever amount of content has been downloaded to that point.

The fact that the content was downloaded over the Internet is totallytransparent to the viewer, except in the context of presenting programinformation, where an indication that the content is from the Internetmay be made in various ways.

Pointers to downloaded content are stored in a local content database740 on the DPR 110 hard drive in an analogous manner to how broadcastprograms are stored, such that all forms of searching and presentationproperly display those programs and provide for their manipulation.

In channel or network oriented contexts, downloadable programs arepresented in a manner analogous to broadcast programming. These contextsmay have to be modified such that the channel or network “lineup” ispresented in a sensible manner, since time and location are irrelevantfor such programs.

The number of content items available in the Now Showing context asshown in FIG. 6 may make navigation unwieldy. Although not required forthe initial implementation, this context may be modified to makenavigation of many items simpler.

The entity providing the content from some servers may be viewed as atelevision network. Each unique server name indicates a channel. Here, a“server” is just a name on the network; it might map into just about anyphysical server anywhere in the world.

Once the content server 720 is contacted, the DVR 110 requests the mediacontent according to the program identification given. This is mapped bythe Web server 200 into a particular piece of content, which is thensent down the connection. Either end may throttle the download speed.

If the viewer requests multiple downloads, the DVR 110 may chooseseveral different ways to get the content; it may initiate multipleconnections with a maximum limitation, or queue requests, or both.

A primary focus is security of the DVR 110. Opening up a network portleads to a large number of possible security breaches, revolving aroundthe security of copyrighted content and protection of a customer'sprivate data.

A standard Linux firewall support is used to manage this protection byautomatically blocking access to all but a single, well-known port inboth directions. This single, well-known port is used by the applicationsoftware to contact the external content server 720 for downloadingmedia content. No connections to this port from the outside world isaccepted.

A Linux DHCP client in the DVR 110 shall be ported. On boot up, if anetwork interface is detected, then the DHCP client uses the well-knownport to poll for an external DHCP server 750. If no server is found,networking will be disabled. Otherwise, the DVR 110 will initialize itsnetwork parameters from the DHCP response.

The disadvantage of this Linux firewall support is that the externalDHCP server 750 is required to configure the Internet accessinformation. This raises the possibility of aliasing. To defeat attacksof this nature, all communication with the content server 720 must beboth authenticated and encrypted. The content server 720 must haveaccess to the public key of the DVR 110, and the DVR must have a copy ofthe public key of the content server 720. Using a certificate exchange,the DVR 110 and the content server 720 generate a one-time session keyfor the Blowfish protocol, and all further communication are encrypted.The public key of the content server 720 is distributed from the servicecenter 130, which has also provided appropriate program guide referencesto the content server 720.

The service center 130 accepts descriptions of the content server 720consisting of server URLs, content descriptions, contentidentifications, “channel” descriptions, “network” descriptions, etc.These data are imported into a content servers description (CSD)database 710 and sliced out as appropriate. A set of public keys foraccess to the content server 720 are also provided.

In order for the content server 720 to accept a connection from the DVR110, it must have access to the public key for a particular DVR. Thiskey distribution is performed on-the-fly. Each content server uses anauthenticated connection to the service center 130 to perform keylookup. Given a DVR serial number, the service center 130 returns itspublic key. The content server 720 may cache this public key if sodesired. The service center 130 maintains a log of all distributedpublic keys.

The service center 130 may refuse to provide the public key of aninactive DVR. Additionally, the content server 720 is required torespond to key invalidation requests from the service center 130, forinstance, if a particular DVR becomes inactive.

A media recorder 730 is a subsystem of the personal TV serviceapplication. It allows for simultaneous record and playback of thedownloading content. The recorded content is stored in the contentdatabase 740. The media recorder 730 will not be started if no permanentnetwork connection is available. There are a number of different threadswithin this subsystem.

(1) Recording Queue Thread: This thread manages the queue of networkdownload requests and implements the download policy. Initially, thismay be a simple FIFO queue maintained in the object store. A recordingqueue policy object is maintained once the download policy isimplemented.

(2) Fetch Recording Thread: This thread is responsible for managing aconnection with the content server 720. It contacts the server,implements the authentication protocol, requests the desired content,and manages its download.

As a variation on this strategy, the program object may indicatemultiple servers to be polled for the media content. The servers arepolled in order; the first to accept a request for download is used.This provides for load-balancing.

The thread periodically checkpoints its state to the object store. Thisallows restart of a download after a power failure or system error. Thethread also manages the state of database objects that are used forpresentation and navigation of the content being downloaded; forexample, it manages the state of the recording object for proper displayin the Now Showing context as shown in FIG. 6. There may be one or moresuch threads active at any point in time.

F. DVR to DVR Interactions

A mechanism for transferring media and database elements between twoDVRs is developed. Referring to FIG. 7, one example of the transfer isthat a smaller amount of disk storage in a battery-driven device isprovided in a portable DVR 760. Before going on vacation, a user maytransfer desirable media and the invisible associated service data tothe portable DVR 760 and take the portable DVR 760 along such that themedia may be used when desired. Another example of the transfer is thattwo DVRs 110 and 770 are slaved together such that two media streams areplayed with precise synchronization to achieve identical operation.

There are many ways to connect two DVRs. The simplest one is to plug theoutput of the source DVR 110 into the input of the destination DVR 770.While it is functional, this method fails to transfer information aboutthe media stream, which is essential to viewer satisfaction in managingand using the media stream.

The media stream stored in the DVR 110 consists of two pieces: the mediacontent itself, and a database object which gives descriptiveinformation about the media content. If a data transfer method is used,such as a network (e.g., IEEE 802.3) or a direct connection (e.g., IEEE1394), then both the media content and the descriptive information canbe transferred, such that the integrity of the viewer experience ispreserved.

Content owners are concerned about theft of content. A furtherrefinement of this method is to encrypt the data transfer between theDVRs 110 and 770. This can be done in a number of standard and customways. For instance, the Diffie-Hellman secure connection protocol may beused to encrypt the transfer using a one-time key.

If it is desirable to allow the transfer to only occur to certainspecified DVRs, the integrated security system may be used. The publickey of each DVR must be known to the other. When the transfer isstarted, the DVRs exchange signed, encrypted certificates based on thestored private key. If both DVRs can decrypt and verify the signature ofthe other, a one-time session key is then used to encrypt the dataduring the transfer.

Key distribution in such a case may be handled through the servicecenter 130. A viewer may contact the service center 130, and requestthat two DVRs 110 and 770 he owns be authorized for data transferbetween each other. The service center 130 sends an authorization objectcontaining each DVR's public key to the other DVR through an appropriatedownload mechanism. The service center 130 maintains a record of thisoperation for later auditing purposes, which includes identifyinginformation for each DVR. For instance, should the security system bedefeated in one DVR and the public key of the other be exposed, it ispossible to modify other DVRs such that they appear authorized to thesource DVR 110. Each DVR keeps a record of the transfers. This record isuploaded to the service center 130. Later, this information could beprocessed to look for copy protection violations, copies to unauthorizedDVRs, etc.

If the transfer is interrupted, the destination DVR 770 marks the mediastream as “partial” in the descriptive object. Later, the transfer maybe restarted. Since the design of the database system guarantees themedia stream can be uniquely identified on the destination DVR 770, thepartial stream is found, and the transfer begins from its end, thusavoiding re-transfer of media that has already been stored. Once theentire media stream is stored, the descriptive object is updated to showa complete media stream.

There is no particular real-time requirement necessary when transferringdigital data between the DVRs. The transfer may take place at whateverspeed is appropriate. For instance, it may be the case that the networkbetween the DVRs is slow, in which case the transfer duration will belonger than the playback duration of the content. Alternatively, thenetwork may be fast, in which case multiple media streams might betransferred in much less time than taken for playback of one contentitem. The viewer on the destination DVR may start viewing the mediastream as soon as the first portions are available, in parallel with theongoing download of the stream.

There is no requirement that the source or destination DVR be a completedigital video DVR. For instance, the media streams stored on a server ina cable head end may be transferred reliably to the destination DVR 770.Alternatively, the media stream stored in the source DVR 110 may betransferred to a head-end server.

Certain media distribution architectures, such as digital satellitesystems, broadcast most media content in an encrypted state. Using alocal decryption facility based on a smart-card, the media content isdecrypted only if it is viewed, thus protecting the content from theft.It is possible for the DVR to save these encrypted media streams todisk, and to initiate decryption upon playback. This method may be usedto transfer media streams between two DVRs. In order to properly complya particular set of content protection rules associated with the mediastream (such as play once, expire after one day, etc.), the DVRmaintains with the database object describing the media stream the copyprotection information associated with the media stream (includingwhether the stream is stored encrypted).

The content protection rules associated with the media stream may betransferred to the destination DVR 770 as well. For example, the DVR 110may have stored a movie from the content server 720 that will not bedecrypted until it is viewed. If the viewer wishes to have this mediastream transferred, it is simply copied into the media region of thedestination DVR 770, and the descriptive object is transferred as well.This means that the original information on the media stream isfaithfully duplicated to the destination DVR 770.

The smart-card might be pulled from the source DVR 110 and installed inthe destination DVR 770. When the media content is viewed, the viewer isproperly charged and all copy protection rules followed. The originalmedia content and descriptive information might, or might not, beremoved. For instance, in a “view-once” scheme, the originals aredestroyed, whereas in a “charge-per-view” scheme, they would not.

Using the same techniques as described above, a secure, or authenticatedand secure, connection may be established between two or more DVRs usinga network, perhaps accessed using the internal modem. This enablescontrol interactions to take place. Some examples are:

(1) Synchronized playback. A viewer may control trick-play features on aparticular media stream. Each key event is also passed to thedestination DVR 770, which automatically performs the same action. Forexample, a presenter may give a live presentation using the source DVR110 as a multimedia playback device, and an audience at a remotelocation can watch the same presentation given in the same way at thesame time. Alternatively, two viewers communicating through some othermeans, such as a telephone, may interact, while one or the othercontrols the playback on both DVRs of the same program. This allowsprecise discussion of the program of interest. The means ofcommunication may be a simple chat program overlayed on the display inwhich the participants type comments.

(2) Link passing. A viewer of the source DVR 110 may indicate that aparticular program be linked to the destination DVR 770. This results ina message sent to the destination DVR 770 which causes it to schedulerecording of that program. Alternately, the program may be unlinked aswell. The message needs to contain only the program identification,assuming both DVRs 110 and 770 are in service.

(3) Sound or graphics effects. When the viewer takes an action, such aspressing a particular key sequence, the source DVR 110 may play a soundor present a graphic. It may pass that event to the destination DVR 770which reproduces that same sound or graphic. For instance, a child mayadd sounds to a program this way, which may be replicated for his friendon a remote destination DVR 770. Clearly, such communication may bemulti-way.

It may be useful for DVRs to be able to transfer other types of data aswell. For example, consider a large home DVR 110 and a smaller portableDVR 760. Interesting data, such as software, graphical elements, programguide data, etc., might be transferred between two DVRs as well. Forinstance, the portable DVR 760 may be updated by the home DVR 110 everytime the two DVRs are connected. This update includes transferring andinstalling a software update as well. The portable DVR 760 transfers anyoperational information to the home DVR 110 whenever two DVRs areconnected, and the home DVR 110 then sends the operational informationto the service center 130 whenever the home DVR 110 accesses to theservice center 130.

The update may be done automatically. In such a case, when two DVRs areconnected, a set of pre-configured actions takes place, such as updatingprogram guide or software, and then media streams may be transferred aswell. If the destination DVR 770 is a smaller portable unit, then notall media streams would fit. In this case, the viewer may explicitlychoose which media streams to transfer. A more interesting case occursif preference information is used to choose a subset of the availablemedia of most interest to the viewer and transfer only those streams.Another case is where media streams are transferred going from newest tooldest, stopping when no more will fit, or oldest to newest, which isless interesting. Another criteria may be whether the program wasexplicitly picked or chosen based on viewer preferences. Any programinformation stored in the descriptive object for the content may be usedin the selection criteria, such as length, actors, rating, etc.

Although the invention is described herein with reference to thepreferred embodiment, one skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat other applications may be substituted for those set forth hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, the invention should only be limited by the Claims includedbelow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a media receiver,comprising: input receiving logic, implemented at least partially byhardware at the media receiver, configured to receive input indicatingcriteria for choosing media content to transfer from the media receiverto a portable media playback device, the criteria explicitly selectingone or more items of media content; connection establishing logic,implemented at least partially by hardware at the media receiver,configured to establish a connection between the portable media playbackdevice and the media receiver; content selecting logic, implemented atleast partially by hardware at the media receiver, configured to, afterreceiving the input, upon connection of the media receiver and theportable media playback device, based on the criteria, automaticallychoose media content to transfer to the portable media playback device;content transferring logic, implemented at least partially by hardwareat the media receiver, configured to, upon connection of the mediareceiver and the portable media playback device, automatically transferthe chosen media content from the media receiver to the portable mediaplayback device; the portable media playback device, comprising:connection establishing logic, implemented at least partially byhardware at the portable media playback device, configured to establishthe connection between the portable media playback device and the mediareceiver; content receiving logic, implemented at least partially byhardware at the portable media playback device, configured to receivemedia content upon the connection of the portable media playback deviceto the media receiver; media playing logic, implemented at leastpartially by hardware at the portable media playback device, configuredto play at least a portion of the media content received from the mediareceiver.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input receiving logic isfurther configured to receive an explicit choice of the chosen mediacontent from a user.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the criteria isbased on user preferences.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the contentselecting logic is further configured to compare content informationspecified in the criteria to program information specified for aplurality of media content items.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein thecriteria specifies a title or a description of the chosen media content.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content selecting logic is furtherconfigured to compare content information specified in the criteria todescriptive information specifying content lengths for a plurality ofmedia content items.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the contentselecting logic is further configured to compare content informationspecified in the criteria to descriptive information specifying ratingsfor a plurality of media content items.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the media receiver further comprises a content downloaderconfigured to download one or more items in the chosen media contentfrom another device.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mediareceiver further comprises content recording logic, implemented at leastpartially by hardware at the media receiver, configured to record atleast one or more items of the chosen media content from a broadcastsource.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the media receiver is aserver to which the portable media playback device connects over anetwork.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the media receiver is aserver at a cable head end.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the mediareceiver is a digital video recorder.
 13. The system of claim 1, whereinthe connection is a network connection facilitated by a service center.14. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection is established by auser plugging the portable media playback device into the mediareceiver.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection is anencrypted connection.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the portablemedia playback device is a battery driven device that operatesindependent of the media receiver.
 17. The system of claim 1, whereinthe media playing logic is configured to play back at least a particularmedia content item selected via a user interface on the portable mediaplayback device, from the chosen media content.
 18. The system of claim1, wherein the portable media playback device comprises one or morestorage devices configured to store the chosen media content.
 19. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the content transferring logic is furtherconfigured to automatically transfer, with the chosen media content,descriptive information about the chosen media content.
 20. The systemof claim 1, wherein the content transferring logic is further configuredto automatically transfer, with the chosen media content, rules thatcause the portable media playback device to enforce a copy protectionscheme with respect to the at least one item of the chosen mediacontent; wherein the portable media playback device further comprisescopy protection enforcing logic, implemented at least partially byhardware at the portable media playback device, configured to enforcethe copy protection scheme in accordance to the rules.
 21. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the media receiver further comprises operationalinformation collecting logic, implemented at least partially by hardwareat the media receiver, configured to, upon a subsequent connection ofthe media receiver and the portable media playback device, receiveoperational information from the portable media playback device.
 22. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the media receiver further comprisesoperational information collecting logic, implemented at least partiallyby hardware at the media receiver, configured to, upon a subsequentconnection of the media receiver and the portable media playback device,receive operational information from the portable media playback device;wherein the media receiver further comprises operational informationtransferring logic, implemented at least partially by hardware at themedia receiver, configured to transfer the operational information to aserver.
 23. The system of claim 1, wherein the content transferringlogic is further configured to encrypt the chosen media content fortransfer.
 24. The system of claim 1, wherein the media receiver furthercomprises a content database configured to store data that describes aplurality of media content items, including the chosen media content,wherein the content database includes the content information to whichthe criteria is compared; wherein the content selecting logic is furtherconfigured to select which of the plurality of media content itemsdescribed in the content database are to be transferred to the portablemedia playback device based on the criteria.
 25. The system of claim 1,further comprising: a server configured to distribute authorization datato the media receiver and the portable media playback device; whereinthe at least one of the media receiver and the portable media playbackdevice is configured to transfer the chosen media content only uponverifying that, based on the authorization data, the media receiver isauthorized to transfer the chosen media content to the portable mediaplayback device.
 26. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a serverconfigured to distribute authorization data to the media receiver andthe portable media playback device; wherein the at least one of themedia receiver and the portable media playback device is configured totransfer the chosen media content only upon verifying that, based on theauthorization data, the media receiver is authorized to transfer thechosen media content to the portable media playback device; wherein themedia receiver is further configured to upload, to the server, a recordindicating that the chosen media content was transferred to the portablemedia playback device.
 27. The system of claim 1, further comprising: aserver configured to distribute authorization data to the media receiverand the portable media playback device; wherein the at least one of themedia receiver and the portable media playback device is configured totransfer the chosen media content only upon verifying that, based on theauthorization data, the media receiver is authorized to transfer thechosen media content to the portable media playback device; wherein themedia receiver is further configured to upload, to the server, a recordindicating that the chosen media content was transferred to the portablemedia playback device; wherein the server comprises a record processorthat examines records of content transfers for one or more of: copyprotection violations, or unauthorized content transfers.